Kids' Haircuts in Plano, TX: What to Expect and How to Prepare

Nobody searches for a kids' haircut because they are curious about the price. They search because they have a four-year-old who screamed through the last one, or a second-grader whose bangs are now in her eyelashes, or a nine-year-old who has decided — firmly — that he wants it short on the sides.

So this is less a price guide than an honest account of how a children's haircut actually goes at our salon in Plano: what the appointment includes, what the time slot has to do with how well it goes, how we handle a child who will not sit, and the two things about everyday kid hair that a dermatologist would want you to know.

What a Children's Haircut Includes

A children's cut at Lee Graves Salon is a real appointment, not a trim squeezed between adults. It includes:

• A consultation with you, not with your child. We want to know what you are picturing, what you have tried at home, and anything we should know before we start — past bad experiences, sensory sensitivities, a cowlick that has defeated two previous salons.
• A gentle shampoo, if your child is comfortable with it. Plenty of kids are fine in the chair and hate the shampoo bowl. That is allowed. We can cut dry or spray-dampen instead.
• A precision cut at your child's pace. If they need a break, we take one.
• Light styling at the end, so you can see the actual shape rather than guessing at it under damp hair.

Children's cuts start at $35, depending on stylist level. Appointment length is the one thing we genuinely cannot promise in advance: a women's cut runs 45 to 60 minutes and a men's cut 30 to 45, but a child's appointment is as long as the child needs it to be. We would rather hold the extra time and not use it.

The haircuts service page covers the rest of the menu, and our Plano haircut cost guide breaks down every cut price by level if you are comparing.

When to Book a First Haircut

There is no medical answer to this, and anyone who gives you a firm age is making it up. What we see in practice is that parents book the first cut for one of three reasons:

1. Hair is in the eyes. Usually the real trigger, and usually solvable with bangs or a fringe trim rather than a full cut.
2. The growth has gone uneven. Baby hair comes in at different rates, and at some point a mullet appears that nobody chose.
3. Brushing has become a daily fight. Fine hair at the nape mats quickly, especially against a car seat. A shape change often fixes more of this than any product will.

None of those is urgent. If your child is not ready and the hair is not bothering anyone, waiting costs nothing.

How to Prepare a Child Who Is Nervous

The single most useful thing you can do is tell us at booking. A note that says "first haircut, very nervous" changes how we schedule you and who we put you with — our standing recommendation is to book with a stylist who has experience with younger clients, and we can only do that if we know.

Beyond that, the preparation advice we give parents lines up closely with the sensory-friendly guidance from Pathways.org, a child development nonprofit whose materials are reviewed by pediatric occupational and physical therapists:

• Visit first. Come by a day or two ahead, or bring your child along to your own appointment. Seeing the room, hearing the dryers, and watching somebody else get a haircut removes most of the surprise.
• Let them touch the tools. We are happy to hand over a comb, show the shears closed, and let a child hear the clipper before it is anywhere near their head.
• Go first, or share the chair. A parent getting cut first is a powerful demonstration. A small child sitting on your lap for the cut is completely normal and we do it regularly.
• Ask for scissors. Clippers are the usual culprit — the buzzing is amplified when it is against your own skull. Where the shape allows it, we will use shears instead. Just ask.
• Let them make the first snip. For some kids, being the one who starts it changes the whole appointment.

One more that is ours rather than theirs: book the time slot, not just the day. We open at 10 AM Tuesday through Friday, 9 AM on Saturday, and 10 AM on Sunday, and we are closed Mondays. A first appointment of the day is quieter, the salon is less busy, and — more to the point — your child is not coming off a full school day. A tired child at 5:30 PM is a different child than the same one at 10 AM.

Cuts That Grow Out Well, and Bang Trims

A cut that looks sharp on the day and shapeless three weeks later is a bad cut for a child, because children are the clients least likely to get a prompt rebooking. We cut for grow-out: a shape that softens gradually rather than collapsing, and layers that do not need styling to read as deliberate.

For maintenance, roughly six to eight weeks keeps a defined shape intentional — the same cadence we recommend for adults — and 10 to 12 weeks is fine if you are growing hair out and just want the ends kept healthy.

Bangs break that rule. They grow into the eyeline well before the rest of the cut needs anything, which is why a bang trim at $20 to $30 exists as its own appointment. It takes a few minutes and it is far cheaper than booking a full cut you do not need. If your child's last cut went badly somewhere else, our guide on fixing a bad haircut covers what a corrective cut can actually repair in one sitting versus what only time fixes.

Curly and wavy kid hair deserves its own note: it should usually be cut dry or checked dry, because wet curls hang straight and lie about where they will end up. Our piece on finding a curly hair salon in Plano explains the difference and what to ask for.

Tweens, Teens, and the First Grown-Up Appointment

At some point a children's cut stops being the right service. It is not an age — it is when the appointment involves a real consultation about shape, length, and how they want to style it themselves, which is a different job and a longer one. At that point the cut is priced as a women's cut ($93 to $112) or a men's cut ($55 to $73) by stylist level.

That transition is also when kids start wanting things we should talk through rather than just do. Our salon vs. barber shop guide is genuinely useful for a boy moving into a fade cycle, since a tight fade maintained every two weeks is a barber's rhythm, not ours.

For dances, recitals, and pictures, prom styling is $90 and up, special occasion styling runs $90 to $110, and an updo is $120 and up. Those are styling appointments, not cuts, and they book up fastest in spring.

Everyday Hair Between Haircuts

Two things actually matter between appointments, and one of them is more serious than parents expect.

The tangles. Fine kid hair mats at the nape and behind the ears, and the fight over brushing is almost always a detangling problem rather than a discipline problem. Detangle from the ends upward, never from the scalp down, on hair that is damp or has a leave-in on it rather than bone dry. A wide-tooth comb beats a brush on wet hair. A softening leave-in does more for a morning than any amount of patience.

The ponytails. This is the one worth reading twice. The American Academy of Dermatology is direct about tight styles: hairstyling habits that can lead to hair loss "often begin at a young age". Repeated pulling from tight ponytails, buns, braids, and locs causes traction alopecia, and the AAD notes that when the pulling continues, "most people eventually notice that their hair stops growing" — at that stage, it cannot grow back.

The practical test the AAD gives is simple enough to hand to a child: if the style feels painful, it is too tight. Watch for stinging, crusting, tenting of the scalp where sections are pulled up, broken hairs along the forehead, or a hairline that is creeping back. Their advice is to loosen braids around the hairline, choose thicker braids and shorter lengths rather than long heavy ones, switch styles regularly instead of wearing the same tight one daily, and keep braids in no longer than six to eight weeks.

A daily slicked-back ponytail for school or gymnastics is the most common version of this we see in the chair. It is not something to panic about; it is something to rotate out of.

Siblings in the Salon

Our salon policies include one rule specifically about children, and it is worth knowing before you arrive: children who are not receiving a service need to be supervised by an adult who is not in a chair. We run professional color, hot tools, and open shears, and a stylist mid-foil cannot also watch a toddler. If you are getting your own color done while your child gets a cut, bring a second adult.

The rest of the policies that are likely to matter to you: we ask for 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule, we would rather you call us at (972) 378-0091 if you are running more than 15 minutes late, and if you are not happy with a cut, tell us within 7 days and we will schedule a complimentary adjustment.

What Kids' Cuts Cost at Lee Graves Salon

Prices are starting rates and vary by stylist level. A 3% service fee applies when you pay with a card reader; there is no fee for cash or check. The full menu is on our pricing page.

Booking a Kids' Haircut in Plano

Call us at (972) 378-0091 or book online. If it is a first haircut, or if a previous one went badly, say so when you book — it is the single most useful thing you can tell us, and it changes both the stylist and the amount of time we hold.

We are at 6101 Chapel Hill Blvd, Suite 103, Plano, TX 75093, open Tuesday through Friday 10 AM to 7 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. If you are booking for yourself at the same time, our new client page covers what a first visit looks like, and you can read about our stylists before you choose.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a kids' haircut in Plano? Children's cuts at Lee Graves Salon start at $35 and vary with stylist level. A bang trim between cuts runs $20 to $30. A 3% service fee applies when you pay with a card reader, and there is no fee for cash or check. Our full menu is on the pricing page.

What age should a child get their first haircut? There is no set age, and nothing goes wrong by waiting. Most parents book the first cut when hair starts getting in their child's eyes, when the growth is uneven enough to look accidental, or when the back is tangling badly enough to make brushing a daily fight. Any of those is a good reason, and none of them is urgent.

What if my child will not sit still for a haircut? Tell us when you book so we schedule enough time and pair you with a stylist used to younger clients. In the chair we work at your child's pace, take breaks when they need them, and can skip the shampoo entirely if the shampoo bowl is the part they dislike. A cut finished across two shorter visits is a normal outcome, not a failure.

Do you use clippers or scissors on children's hair? Either, depending on the cut and the child. If the buzzing is the problem, say so and we will use shears instead wherever the shape allows. Pathways.org makes the same recommendation, noting that electric razors can sound amplified to young children.

How often do kids need haircuts? Roughly every six to eight weeks keeps a defined shape looking intentional, which is the same cadence we recommend for adults. If you are growing hair out, stretch to 10 to 12 weeks and treat it as a trim. Bangs are the exception and usually need attention every three to four weeks because they grow into the eyeline first.

Can my other children come with us to the appointment? Yes, with one condition from our salon policies: children who are not receiving a service need to be supervised by an adult who is not in a chair. The salon runs professional color, hot tools, and sharp shears, so a sibling who wanders is a genuine safety issue rather than a rule for its own sake.

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